The Search
by 26Chapters
Summary: A short non-detailed one shot of Ichabod missing for a few days. In the end, his return is the beginning of new relationship for him and Abbie.


It's when he goes missing that Abbie truly learns what it means to be distressed. She's been through difficult situations before, but his disappearance is some levels higher than what she's ever felt. For one thing, she can't do the Witnessing thing alone, she doesn't even want to. And for another, he's extremely important to her, her life without him, is something she doesn't even joke about entertaining.

The first day is the hardest of them all, because she walks into the cabin as usual, but there's no sign of him. It's the only day she truly gets to feel emotions, to notice that he's not with her. She doesn't expect it of herself to remain strong and confident, because it's only the first day. She goes all around the cabin, over the little concealing spaces that there are, but she doesn't find him. It's after she's searched the cabin three times that she accepts that he's not there. She doesn't find him outside either. Therefore, she waits outside, ignoring that her shift would start in less than twenty minutes. In fact, she makes it to her shift a full thirty minutes later, once her mind has accepted it that he's not anywhere near his home. At the precinct, she heads straight for the Archives, holding her phone to her ear, listening to the tone of ringing that is coming from the other end. His phone is ringing, but he's not picking up, it's at least confirmation that he hasn't drowned in the lake. She leaves several voice messages, one of them sounding close to, 'I love you, please be okay,' if interpreted accurately.

It doesn't help her when everyone asks her where he is (you're always together, they say, is he sick, they ask), because by now she's beginning to imagine all sorts of scenarios that are not pleasant, creating a terrible dread in her. Her mind works overtime, trying to figure out where he is, or who could have him. An hour later, she decides to go to Fredericks Manor, if trouble finds her or not, armed or not, she's going to talk to Henry. She comes up empty, Henry hasn't seen his father, and he's not going to help her find him either, he doesn't care what happens to his parents, their suffering makes him happy. Abbie wonders how she makes it out of that house without putting a bullet in Henry's shoulder. She tries the mansion of the Freemasons, it hasn't been inhabited since they died three years ago, but she can't overlook the slightest thing. For the most part, she ignores all the calls, only taking two, one from Nick Hawley and the other from her sister. She tells them that she needs their help in finding him, because she doesn't know what else to do. Two hours later, the three group to discuss Crane, all Abbie can do is believe the worst, it's been too long without him. The rest of the day without Crane, is long, and she's worried. She won't eat or give too much attention to the ordinary police cases, her only concern is that she finds him. When her shift ends, she goes back to the cabin, taking a seat on the couch and thinking very hard of where he could be. His phone is still ringing, and he still isn't answering it. Sooner or later, his battery will run out, then she will have no way of contacting him. At sundown (which is dangerous, because daytime would've been the best time to do so), she goes to where Headless lives. Using her finest police talents and skills, she scours the premises carefully. The only thing she finds, is Headless cleaning his wide axe, which is somewhat disturbing for her. It takes all her inner strength not to cry out in frustration as she sinks into Crane's couch at nine in the evening. Sleep doesn't find her for the whole night, because all she can do it think. She spends all night (and uses five pages of a writing pad) putting all she can together, anything that will help her find him, makes its way on the pad.

The second day, she doesn't even feel like a person who hasn't slept. She goes home for a shower, changes her clothes and leaves for work. In her mind, Crane is still priority with a capital p, but she might as well do her job, it could be useful in talking to people about him, asking around (as she did her case investigations) if anyone has seen him. His phone hasn't died yet, which makes her glad, but her nerves are on end still. She's hypersensitive too, no one can make a joke with her without it taking her peace. She's frustrated by the afternoon, telling everyone to stay out of her way if they have nothing important to say. Reyes calls her into the office, letting her know that the other officers are worried about her, she's not acting like herself, that she needs to take the rest of the day off. Abbie absolutely refuses. Reyes threatens her and in the end, she has no choice but to go home. She doesn't go home, she goes all around town, asking if anyone has seen Crane. It's more than frustrating when she comes up with nothing. For the second night, she doesn't sleep one wink.

By the third day, she expects of herself to act not like the affected party, but the rational doctor who will do anything to save a life. Her feelings, her emotions, she throws out of the window, disregarding all the advice Hawley and Jenny give her about eating and sleeping, even refusing to take any food from them because she's cautious that they've drugged the food.

'You're not going to help him if you don't get yourself together,' Jenny says, blocking Abbie's entry into her car. If she had the time, she would use it to appreciate her sister's concern, but she doesn't.

'Jenny,' she starts carefully, 'this isn't a random case where my neighbour is missing. This isn't just anyone. It's Crane.' What she means is, she can't sleep, so much could happen to him while she slept, she won't risk it. She can't be responsible for anything that happens to him.

'I know,' Jenny stresses, 'I know Abbie,' there's desperate anguish in her voice, 'That's why I'm telling you to slow down. You need to rest, eat, take some time to relax. Only then you'll be able to help him.'

She gives her younger sister a look, it's the most ridiculous thing she's heard in three days. Relax? Really? 'Get away from my car Jenny.'

Fortunately, on the fourth day, she gets a lead from a teenager. Not just any lead though, a good lead, one that leads her right to him. Her first concern is his safety. Three days are a long time to be missing. She's thankful that he's not been starved or hurt, because the people who kidnapped him belong to a good cult, and they believed him to be their chosen leader. Apparently, they read it in the stars. Abbie doesn't really care to know what they're all about, all she cares for is that they haven't harmed him, and they don't go around killing people to sustain their cult. It takes more than talking to convince them that they've got the wrong person for their supposed leader. The one who's supposed to be second in charge argues that Crane is the one they've been waiting for. Only when she gets fed up and draws her gun out, do they accept that maybe Crane's not their much waited for leader. Crane being himself, thanks them for their hospitality and asks them to give him his phone back. Abbie doesn't want to, but she thanks them for looking after him anyway. As they walk back to her car, he tells her what happened. It's not an unbelievable story actually...There he was, minding his business at the cabin lake, when a group of unmasked men came up to him from inside the lake and asked him nicely to co-operate with them by following them, if he didn't, they would be forced to kidnap him. At this revelation, Abbie understands why she couldn't find footprints other than his on the premises.

'I'm just glad you're fine Crane,' she interrupts him somewhere in the middle of his story. It's not that she doesn't want to hear what happened, she's just so tired all of a sudden. Her body and brain aren't functioning as they should, she's barely able to control her car back to the cabin.

'Are you all right?' he asks in concern. Abbie shrugs it away, she doesn't want him to know how senseless she's been working to find him, he's not going to like hearing it. The rest of the drive to the cabin is in silence, Abbie's mind is completely blank except for the road she's driving on.

At the cabin, Crane opens the door for her, following in right after her.

'I'll put the kettle on, I could do with a cup,' he heads into the kitchen. She goes straight for the couch, sinking hard into it. Then only does she realise the magnitude of her exhaustion; her body is on the verge of death.

'Make me a cup as well,' she asks, not that she has to, but she figures she should talk to keep herself from passing out. She hears him shuffling around in the little kitchen, the sound acting as lullaby to her. She can't help going down and laying her head on the armrest.

Her eyes open to darkness, she can't make anything out, but she can feel that she's in a bed. It's not her bed, her mattress isn't this soft. It takes about two minutes to remember what happened before she fell asleep , and just as she does, she notices that the covers surrounding her, smell of Crane, or like him, whichever it is. A small smile of relief spreads on her face. In the dark, she climbs out of bed, (choosing not to look for her shoes in the dark) leaving the bedroom to the kitchen for a glass of water. The light in the living room is still on, Crane must be awake, she thinks. It's three something in the morning when she reads the watch on her wrist. She only woke up to get a glass of water, she plans on going straight back to bed, her body hasn't received its due of sleep yet. Although she wants to call out his name to make sure that she's not dreaming, she doesn't, what she does is get a glass and fills it with tap water.

'You're awake?'

She turns around to find him half naked from the waist up, smelling like he just came fresh from a shower. Abbie briefly wonders who showers at three in the morning.

'Just for a glass of water,' she lifts the glass for him to see. He nods quietly, apparently unaware that he's exposed to her.

'So...I woke up in your bed. Wanna tell me how that happened?'

He blinks twice, 'I carried you there.'

She expected that he would tell her how barely awake she was when he suggested that she slept in his bed. In fact, she thought she'd gone into his bedroom by her own two feet, but apparently not.

'Oh,' is all she says, then begins walking out of the little kitchen, her glass still in her hand. Ichabod follows her, taking the available place on the couch next to her.

'You sat down for two seconds and you fell asleep,' he comments, trying to get an answer without asking a question.

She leans her back on the armrest, positioning herself as if she were about to sleep, 'I haven't slept in three days.' He should already know why, she's not going to tell him more.

'You need to sleep then.' He's not asking, or declaring, he's commanding that she does. For his reply, she lifts her legs onto the couch, curling them into her.

'I've been hearing that for days now,' she says, closing her eyes (despite her not wanting to) and snuggling her head deep into the body of the couch, 'What makes you think I'll listen to you?' It's silent after her question, he doesn't reply. Abbie thinks to open her eyes, but the feeling coming from having them closed is too wonderful. After some time, she feels the glass in her hand being eased from her, then a second later, she feels Crane move towards her. She knows he's doing that, because he brushes with her legs while one hand comes to grip her lightly on the waist. As much as she wants to know and see what he's doing, she trusts that he's not about to cut her up into tiny pieces, so she keeps her eyes closed, waiting to feel what will happen next. If she's lucky, he'll carry her to bed again, saving her the trouble of walking back to it.

He leans much further into her, she can feel his breath on her face as the other hand cups the side of her face. Before she can think about what's going on, his lips make contact with her, lingering enough to answer her question. When he draws back, he draws from her a tiny smile and sigh. She knows exactly what he means; he's not just anyone, he's Crane, that's why she'll listen to him. Slowly, her eyes open and she brings her small hand to caress his cheek in gratitude. If she hadn't found him, she wouldn't have slept. But she did, and the minute she did, she fell into a deep sleep without worry. She stares into his eyes with every emotion that she never allowed herself to feel in the past. She doesn't feel the weight of his search on her anymore, only because it's replaced by the emotions she never felt. Suddenly, as she looks into his eyes, she feels what she was supposed to feel in the last four days. Desperation, anger (not for him), sadness, anxiety, hopelessness and worry all flood her at once. She feels all of them separately and together at the same time, it's too much for her. She feels her eyes beginning to water. Not saying a word, Crane draws her into a hug, she rests her chin on his shoulder, tears falling from her eyes the second she closes them.

'It will be all right,' he soothes softly. She wants to say something, anything, but she can't think of anything to say.

'You don't need to remain strong any longer...I am here.' The words are designed to let her know that he knows how it has been for her in the days that he was missing.

'Always be here Crane,' she sobs, because she doesn't want to go through searching for him again. Plus, she can't lose him. Without giving a fair warning, he pulls back from her, choosing to bore into her eyes with his own.

He smiles once, a little smile, part sad, part encouragement, placing a hand over her heart, 'I'll always be here.' Abbie hears what he doesn't say; 'even when I'm not with you, I'll always be with you, because you will never let me go.' She places one of her hands over his, emphasising his point. A smile identical to his appears on her face.


End file.
